Black Mental Health: Fighting Stigma and Building Trust
Health Disparities#BlackHealthFacts
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Health Disparities

Mental Health: Elevating Voices to Fight Stigma and Build Trust

Prioritizing our mental health is a must, but for many Black Americans, social and structural systemic factors have been barriers to getting mental health care. We examine these issues to raise awareness and help influence change.
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Updated on May 30, 2025
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Fighting the Stigma Surrounding Mental Illness

“There is no shame in having a mental disorder and no shame in seeking help,” says Dr. Harris.
Fighting the Stigma Surrounding Mental Illness

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Episode 2

Building Trust for Improved Health

Building Trust for Improved Health00:01:40

Episode 3

Finding a Mental Health Professional

Finding a Mental Health Professional00:01:30

Episode 4

Prioritizing Self-Care

Prioritizing Self-Care00:01:55

Episode 5

The Strong Black Woman Concept

The Strong Black Woman Concept00:01:02

Episode 6

How the Healthcare System Fails Black Women

How the Healthcare System Fails Black Women00:01:29
Patrice Harris, MD, a psychiatrist and Everyday Health’s chief health and medical editor, examines the stigma associated with mental illness, mistrust of the healthcare system, and other factors that have prevented Black Americans from receiving appropriate treatment in the past. She also looks at how to make mental health as important as physical health.

Episode 1: Stigma

Stigma — the negative attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions — surrounding mental health issues is extremely common.

 “I’ve heard people say that if you have a mental illness, it means you have a character flaw, a moral failing, you are weak in character, or perhaps you didn’t pray hard enough,” says Dr. Harris. “But there is no shame in having a mental illness and no shame in seeking help.”

Mental Health Resources for Black Americans

In addition to resources available to everyone, organizations that work specifically with Black communities can be great for finding culturally appropriate information and help.

Learn More
Mental Health Resources for Black Americans

Episode 2: Mistrust

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Mistrust of the medical community by Black Americans is rooted in a history of mistreatment, including 19th century gynecologic operations on enslaved women without the use of anesthesia, the 40-year-long U.S. Public Health Service Syphilis Study at Tuskegee, the extraction and examination of Henrietta Lacks’s cervical cells without her knowledge, and more. But existing socioeconomic and healthcare system inequities also play a role, as does the lack of cultural diversity and competence among clinicians. Trust is a critical component in improving health outcomes.

 Harris says, “To be trusted, you have to be trustworthy.”

Episode 3: Black Psychiatrists and Psychologists

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Finding a mental health care professional who’s a good fit can be challenging for anyone, but it’s especially so for Black Americans who want to ensure that they’re working with someone who can identify with their experiences. With so few Black professionals in the field, this can be difficult. Cost can also be a problem whether you have health insurance or not.

Still, Harris insists you can find the right fit in a mental health professional — it may just require a little work. “Talk to or interview several, and make sure they understand your needs. Make sure they are comfortable with addressing any issues regarding race and racism in this country. The key is to ask questions. You may not find the perfect fit or a good fit on your first try. Keep trying.”

Resources for Finding a Mental Health Care Professional

Therapy for Black Girls

Founded by Joy Harden Bradford, PhD, a psychologist in Atlanta, this resource for Black women and girls has a search feature for finding a therapist in your area, offers a weekly podcast, and has a variety of spaces to connect with others for support, community, and sisterhood on Patreon.
Learn More About the Community
Therapy for Black Girls

Black Emotional Mental Health Collective

Dedicated to the wellness and healing of Black and marginalized communities, the Black Emotional Mental Health Collective (BEAM) aims to improve access to emotional health care through its network of therapists, wellness practitioners, healers, and more. They also host monthly in-person healing circles in Los Angeles and Atlanta.
Find a Black Therapist Near You
Black Emotional Mental Health Collective

Episode 4: Self-Care

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Practicing regular self-care helps prevent stress and leads to better physical and mental health. Getting regular exercise, sleeping eight hours a night, and eating a healthy diet are all important for maintaining a sound body and mind.

“Black Americans are more likely to experience persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness, partly as a result of generational trauma from centuries of racism and systemic oppression,” says Harris. “The question is, what can we do to take care of ourselves? We want to make sure that we prioritize ourselves and we practice self-care.”

Episode 5: The Strong Black Woman

Historical narratives of Black women’s strength are prominent within Black culture. The strong Black woman persona can promote a positive perception of unwavering strength and getting things done, but it can also encourage an obligation to put everyone else’s needs above your own and discourage showing vulnerability and practicing self-care, potentially harming your own health. In addition, society’s perceptions and expectations of Black women likely contributes their lower rates of treatment for depression.

“As Black women, we have to take off that mantle of being the strong Black woman and make sure that we participate and prioritize self-care,” Harris says. “We have to make sure that we do all that we can to take care of our physical health, as well as our mental health. And that includes seeking therapy, if you need it, or support from friends and family.”

Episode 6: Maternal Mortality

The risk of pregnancy-related deaths for Black women is 3 times higher than for white women.
Close to 700 women die in the United States each year as a result of pregnancy or delivery complications, and Black women are more likely to experience these preventable deaths than white women.

 “Black women aren’t being heard. Even women with all the resources in the world — Serena Williams, Beyoncé, Allyson Felix — who had issues around pregnancy and childbirth were not listened to,” says Harris. “We need to make sure that women are heard and that their complaints are taken seriously, whether that’s around pain or leg swelling or their depressed mood.”

Patrice Harris, MD, MA, FAPA

A psychiatrist and Everyday Health's chief health and medical editor, Dr. Harris's mission overseeing #BlackHealthFacts is to increase awareness of inequities in health and healthcare and to emphasize the importance of mental health. "Now and in the future, please make sure that you are prioritizing yourself and that you practice self-care," she says.
Learn More About Dr. Harris
Patrice Harris, MD, MA, FAPA

Natasha Cunningham

Natasha, a graphic designer from Kingston, Jamaica, tapped into her experience working within the Black community to help create the aesthetics for the art direction of #BlackHealthFacts. She has worked in branding, advertising, and print design for Adobe, Netflix, and O, the Oprah Magazine, among other clients.

See Natasha’s Series on Instagram
Natasha Cunningham
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Ward E et al. African American Men and Women's Attitude Toward Mental Illness, Perceptions of Stigma, and Preferred Coping Behaviors. Nursing Research. May–June 2013.
  2. Hostetter M et al. Understanding and Ameliorating Medical Mistrust Among Black Americans. The Commonwealth Fund. January 14, 2021.
  3. Starks S. Working With African American / Black Patients. American Psychiatric Association.
  4. Psychology’s Workforce Is Becoming More Diverse. American Psychological Association. November 1, 2020.
  5. Saint-Maurice P et al. Association of Leisure-Time Physical Activity Across the Adult Life Course With All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality. JAMA Network Open. March 8, 2019.
  6. Ward E et al. African American Women’s Beliefs About Mental Illness, Stigma, and Preferred Coping Behaviors. Research in Nursing and Health. October 2009.
  7. González H et al. Depression Care in the United States: Too Little for Too Few. JAMA Psychiatry. González H et al.
  8. Hoyert D. Health E-Stat 100: Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2023. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics. May 1, 2025.